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LAFAYETTE – Clinton County, bordering Tippecanoe County to the southeast, reported its first coronavirus death, according to a statewide update released Thursday morning by the Indiana State Health Department.

The death in Clinton County was among the 42 new deaths reported in Thursday’s update, taking Indiana’s death toll from COVID-19 to 245.

The details about the death in Clinton County were not immediately available. Clinton County Health Officer Steven Tharp said the health department is still in the process of gathering information on the person who died.

Tharp said he believed a peak in cases in Clinton County, which lies east of Tippecanoe County and is significantly more rural, will come later than its more urban neighbors.

"I think it's going to be more like the difference between a wave and a tide, and our tide is going to be coming over the next several months," Tharp said.

An illustration of the coronavirus(Photo: USA TODAY Network)

Tippecanoe County had two new cases reported Thursday, bringing the total to 40 since the first case was reported in late March. Tippecanoe County has reported one death in that time, coming March 27 and involving a man who had been hospitalized at IU Health Arnett in Lafayette.

On Wednesday, Dr. Jeremy Adler, Tippecanoe County’s health officer, said the county health department planned to start tracking and reporting suspected cases of coronavirus, as well as confirmed ones, to get a better sense of the situation. Those numbers were not available as of Thursday. Khala Hochstedler, the Tippecanoe County Health Department administrator, said those reports could being next week.

Statewide, confirmed cases grew by more than another 400, reaching 6,351, as of Thursday morning. Of those, 38 percent were in Marion County, home of Indianapolis.

Tippecanoe County’s rate of 2.1 cases per 10,000 people trails the state rate of 9.4 cases per 10,000, as of Wednesday. In Marion County, the rate was 25.5 cases per 10,000 people.

Here were the numbers for Tippecanoe County’s direct neighbors, according to Thursday’s report.

► Montgomery County: 19, up 2.

► Warren County: 2, unchanged.

► Fountain County: 2, unchanged.

► Benton County: 0.

► Clinton County: 10, up 2.

► Carroll County: 3, unchanged.

► White County: 3, unchanged.

► In Jasper County: 16, up 2.

► Newton County: 6, unchanged.

Dave Bangert and Emily DeLetter

Purdue allows pharmacy students to graduate early to prep for coronavirus demands

Purdue will send is College of Pharmacy class of 2020 out into the world a month earlier than expected, hoping to help with an anticipated need for their skills as the coronavirus pandemic plays out.

During a special meeting Thursday, the executive committee of Purdue trustees granted early graduation to 144 pharmacy students. The university certified the entire class of eligible pharmacy students, so that, effective April 17, will be eligible to work as graduate pharmacists until fully licensed.

Pharmacy workforce concerns as a result of COVID-19 prompted the College of Pharmacy to request early graduation for its entire class of fourth-year students. The Board of Trustees approved the request on Thursday.(Photo: John Underwood/Purdue)

Pharmacy Dean Eric Barker asked trustees to grant the certification for the school’s fourth-year students, which cleared a path to pursue their licensure exams. He said that all of the students met the requirements of the program and the college’s accreditation.

“I’ve already received inquiries from a health system about making our graduates available in case they face likely workforce issues as the pandemic intensifies here in Indiana,” Barker said in a release from the university. “Having additional trained clinical pharmacists, even graduate pharmacists, will become increasingly important.”

Darren Covington, executive vice president of the Indiana Pharmacists Association, told Purdue that the organization had received reports of pharmacies temporarily closing because the pharmacists were possibly exposed or infected. Other pharmacies have reported worker shortages.

“By allowing the 2020 graduating pharmacy class to work now, this will help ensure continuity of patient care, especially for our smaller pharmacies, which are more vulnerable because they may only have a few pharmacists at most,” Covington told Purdue.

Dave Bangert

TSC paying hourly employees through end of the school year

Wednesday, the Tippecanoe School Corp. School Board voted to continue to pay all TSC hourly employees through May 26.

Hourly employees include clerical staff, bus drivers, food service workers and others, according to TSC. May 26 was the original end of the regular school calendar, although students will end the school year May 15.

“This is a challenging time, so if TSC can in some way alleviate the stress and burdens on our classified staff in this manner we're happy to do so,” Superintendent Scott Hanback said. “TSC cannot operate effectively or efficiently without hard working, dedicated, and trustworthy employees. I appreciate what they do for our students and schools year after year.”

Emily DeLetter

Crawfordsville offering small business loans

Wednesday, Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton announced the city is creating a small business loan program, available to small businesses within the city and designed to bridge the gap between financial difficulties they may be facing due to restrictions due to coronavirus.

Small business owners in Crawfordsville, about 30 miles south of Lafayette, can apply for a loan, which is for an initial on-year term at zero interest and can be used to assist with payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, tax liabilities and essential operational business needs.

Funds will be made available through the city’s Jobs Creation and Investment Fund.

“Our small business owners have done an amazing job of adapting in these unprecedented times and I am very confident they will be even stronger in the end, if we can just help them get through the immediate challenges,” Barton said in a release. “I appreciate that these businesses have been here for our community and it’s now time for the city to be here for them.”

Interested businesses can contact Barton at 765-364-5160 or email, tbarton@crawfordsville-in.gov for questions and an application. There is no current deadline to apply.